Aviators train fire-fighting skills before KFOR deployment

With an upcoming deployment to Kosovo, Virginia Army National Guard flight crews took to the skies of Chesterfield, Virginia, to certify their ability to fight fires with water buckets Oct. 12, 2021. The buckets are capable of picking up and hauling nearly 6,000 pounds of water, which can then be flown to the site of a wildfire and dropped to assist with fire-fighting efforts.

“Over the last couple of months, Kosovo has had a severe problem with wildfires along their mountain ranges,” explained Capt. Joseph Inglett, commander of the Sandston-based Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment. His company will be primarily responsible for aerial fire-fighting efforts in Kosovo should the need arise, and said after talking with the aviation assets currently serving in Kosovo, it became clear they needed to ensure crew proficiency with the buckets.

The training made use of two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and included seven pilots and three crew chiefs. With the water buckets strapped down inside the aircraft, the crews flew to a pond-dotted training site in Chesterfield where the aircraft landed to offload and hook up the water bucket.

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Virginia Army National Guard flight crews conduct water bucket training with UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters Oct. 12, 2021, at a training area in Chesterfield, Virginia, in preparation for upcoming deployment to Kosovo.